In the handling of mail parcels, it is conventional to use automated equipment to process and sort the parcels. For example, conventional mail systems process mail parcels through several separate machines, including an Advanced Facer Canceller System (AFCS). The AFCS receives incoming mail parcels and faces the parcels by locating the stamped or metered postage and cancelling the postage, typically by imposing a series of wavy lines upon the postage.
One part of the AFCS is configured to receive incoming bales of mail parcels and separate them for proper processing by the AFCS. Typically, this portion of the system includes two conveyors positioned adjacent one another and arranged so that their directions of travel are substantially transverse to one another. The first conveyor is inclined and receives mail parcels at a lower end of the conveyor from a vibrating table. The letters are carried up the inclined conveyor where they are engaged by devices known as finger sweeps. The finger sweeps propel the mail parcels from the first, inclined conveyor against a curtain or curved wall whereafter the mail parcels fall onto the second conveyor which is moving in a direction transverse to the first conveyor and at a higher rate of speed. In this manner, the mail parcels become separated and spaced apart on the second conveyor for processing by the remainder of the mail handling equipment.
Conventional finger sweeps generally comprise a pair of belting straps of a plied or layered construction. The belting straps are formed into respective loops and are secured at their ends to a drive shaft that is positioned above the first conveyor and extends perpendicular to the direction of travel of the first conveyor. Multiple sets of these looped-belt finger sweeps are typically secured to the drive shaft in an arrangement such that the finger sweeps are uniformly spaced across the length of the drive shaft and such that their relative angular positions are staggered. The belt straps are typically formed from the same type of belting material used in the conveyor belts and includes a low friction fabric having a top surface coating of high friction elastomer or polymer. Accordingly, as the mail parcels are conveyed up the inclined first conveyor, the drive shaft rotates the looped-belt sweeps to engage and propel the mail parcels as described above. Due to the construction of the belt straps, however, the outer, high friction surface tends to wear out and must be replaced. Because only the end portion of the belt loops contact the parcels and/or the conveyor, only a small area of the belt becomes worn, yet the entire belt must be replaced, thereby contributing to increased maintenance costs. Moreover, the need for frequent replacement of the belt straps increases the operating costs and downtime of the mail handling equipment. A need therefore exists for an improved finger sweep that overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art.